GIANTmicrobes Blog

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”.

Mental health is all about our well-being; psychologically, emotionally and socially. It can directly affect our thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. Mental health also has a strong impact on our own bodies. As the ancient Greeks said, “to have a healthy mind, means to have a healthy body”. Our mental and physical health go hand-in-hand. Deterioration of mental health can lead to deterioration of physical health, sometimes leading to various psychosomatic symptoms.

Let's get to know more about our wonderful immune system. The immune system is a universe of its own that consists of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend our bodies against a variety of external harmful invaders including viruses, bacteria, fungi, other pathogens, and cancerous cells.

Our immune system plays a crucial and central role in maintaining our overall health and preventing the development of diseases.

But what exactly does our immune systems consist of?

May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Learn all about Lyme Disease with GIANTmicrobes.

FACTS: First identified in the 1970's in the United States near Lyme, Connecticut, Lyme Disease is now one of the most commonly reported tick-borne illnesses.

The Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium was identified as the cause of the disease in the early 1980's, though DNA-analysis of rodents and ticks in museum collections demonstrates that the bacterium has existed for centuries, if not millennia. Blacklegged ticks (or deer ticks) pass the bacterium from small animals to humans.

Although common symptoms include aches, fevers, and fatigue, the signature symptom is an expanding, bull's-eye rash (or EM, erythema migrans). Typically, the rash spreads out from the site of the tick bite, appearing anywhere from a few days to a month after the bite. As the rash grows, the origin fades leaving a ring that resembles a bull's-eye.

When the signature rash is present and tick-exposure

We live in the era where modern medicine, testing and screening are more advanced than ever before. And yet, the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been alarmingly increasing during the last few years.

STIs can affect everyone, regardless of age, sex, gender, or socioeconomic status. STI Awareness Week takes place between April 9-15 and offers a unique opportunity for everyone to find out more about STIs. STI education can be the key to ending the stigma and discrimination and more efficiently tackling, testing and treating STIs in the future.

STIs vs STDs

STIs are passed from one person to another via any kind of sexual activity. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are also known as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), however not all STIs lead to disease development. An infection can often have no symptoms, enabling the quick spread of STIs if regular testing protocols are not in place. STDs can be the result of infections with bacteria, viruses,